# US 2018/0024614 A1 · Autonomous hardware for application power usage optimization > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2018/0024614 A1 - Document ID: US20180024614A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/214,599 - Filed: 2016-07-20 - Published: 2018-01-25 - Earliest claimed: 2016-07-20 - Assignees: NXP USA, Inc. - Applicants: NXP USA, Inc. - Inventors: Jayanta Bhadra; Wen Chen; Monica C. Farkash; Kuo-Kai Hsieh - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180024614A1 ## CPC - G06F 1/3287: by switching off individual functional units in the computer system - G06F 1/3228: Monitoring task completion, e.g. by use of idle timers, stop commands or wait commands - Y02D 10/00: Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management - Y02D 30/50: in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - Y02D: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES [ICT], I.E. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES AIMING AT THE REDUCTION OF THEIR OWN ENERGY USE ## Abstract Self-configured, power-aware circuitry configured to enhance power efficiency within integrated circuitry by self-calibrating the power consumption utilized within the integrated circuitry according to the requirements of an application program running within the integrated circuitry. The power consumption is self-calibrated within the integrated circuitry on a per application-based manner so that the integrated circuitry can be implemented with a plurality of various generalized functionalities, each of which may or may not be utilized while a specific application program is running within the integrated circuitry. Power consumption within the integrated circuitry is reduced by independently and dynamically controlling multiple power sections delineated within the integrated circuitry. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for managing power consumption within circuitry, wherein the circuitry is partitioned into power sections, wherein each of the power sections is configured so that its power consumption is independently controllable from every other power section, wherein the power consumption by each of the power sections is less when the power section is turned off than when the power section is turned on, the method comprising: determining that one or more of the power sections can be turned off for a successful running of an application program within the circuitry; and running the application program within the circuitry with the one or more power sections turned off. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising: determining that a particular power section of the one or more turned off power sections needs to be turned on for successful running of the application program within the circuitry; turning on the particular power section of the one or more turned off power sections for a period of time during the running of the application program within the circuitry; and turning off the particular power section of the one or more turned off power sections after the period of time for a remainder of time during the running of the application program within the circuitry. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the determining that one or more of the power sections can be turned off for the successful running of the application program within the circuitry further comprises determining that power sections other than the one or more turned off power sections need to be turned on for the successful running of the application program within the circuitry. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the successful running of the application program within the circuitry is determined when no errors are produced by the running of the application program within the circuitry. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method as recited in claim 1, wherein turning off of the one or more power sections is performed by deactivation of a clock signal from the one or more power sections. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method as recited in claim 1, wherein turning off of the one or more power sections is performed by deactivation of a power supply voltage from the one or more power sections. ### Claim 7 (depends on 3) The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the determining that one or more of the power sections can be turned off for the successful running of the application program within the circuitry and the determining that power sections other than the one or more turned off power sections need to be turned on for the successful running of the application program within the circuitry are performed as part of a self-calibration process that comprises: a settings selection process configured to determine a first selection of which of the one or more power sections are to be turned on and which of the one or more power sections are to be turned off; a validation process configured to evaluate if running the application program produces an error as a result of the first selection; a settings update process configured to determine that the one or more power sections turned off by the first selection need to be turned on for the successful running of the application program if the error is produced during the validation process; the settings update process configured to determine that the one or more power sections turned off by the first section can be turned off during the running of the application program within the circuitry if no errors are produced during the validation process; and using results of the settings update process to establish initial baseline power settings that determine (1) which of the one or more power sections within the circuitry need to be turned on, and (2) which of the one or more power sections within the circuitry can be turned off for the successful running of the application program. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the self-calibration process further comprises: determining whether the settings selection process needs to determine a second selection of which of the one or more power sections are to be turned on and which of the one or more power sections are to be turned off for another iteration of the validation process and the settings update process, wherein the second selection is different from the first selection; performing the validation process and the settings update process on the second selection if it is determined that the second selection needs to be evaluated by the self-calibration process; and using results of evaluations of the first and second selections by the validation process to produce the initial baseline power settings. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the self-calibration process further comprises determining that a particular power section of the one or more power sections can be turned off for the successful running of the application program even when the particular power section is receiving an input data signal from elsewhere in the circuitry. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the particular power section is turned off during the running of the application program, the method further comprising turning on the particular power section when the running of the application program produces a runtime error. ### Claim 11 A system for managing power consumption within integrated circuitry, wherein the integrated circuitry is partitioned into power sections, wherein each of the power sections is configured so that its power consumption is independently controllable from other power sections, the system comprising: a central controller configured to determine that one or more of the power sections can be turned off for a successful running of an application program within the integrated circuitry; and circuitry configured to run the application program within the integrated circuitry with the one or more power sections turned off ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The system as recited in claim 11, wherein the circuitry configured to run the application program within the integrated circuitry with the one or more power sections turned off comprises a section controller for each of the power sections within the integrated circuitry, wherein each section controller comprises: circuitry configured to receive a first signal from the central controller that designates whether its power section is to be turned on or turned off during the running of the application program within the integrated circuitry; circuitry configured to apply a clock signal to its power section in response to the first signal having a first value designating that the power section is to be turned on during the running of the application program within the integrated circuitry; and circuitry configured to deactivate the clock signal from its power section in response to the first signal having a second value designating that the power section is to be turned off during the running of the application program within the integrated circuitry. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The system a recited in claim 12, wherein the central controller further comprises circuitry configured to determine that a particular power section of the one or more turned off power sections needs to be turned on for a successful running of the application program. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The system as recited in claim 13, wherein the central controller is configured to send the first signal having the first value to a particular section controller associated with a particular power section of the one or more turned off power sections in response to receipt of an indication of data processing activity occurring within the particular power section. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The system as recited in claim 14, wherein the particular section controller pertaining to the particular power section further comprises an event detector configured to send the indication of the data processing activity occurring within the particular power section in response to a sensing of a receipt of an input signal received by the particular power section. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The system as recited in claim 15, wherein the particular section controller comprises circuitry configured to turn on the particular power section in response to (1) receipt from the event detector of the indication of the data processing activity occurring within the particular power section, and (2) receipt from the central controller of the first signal having the first value instructing that the particular power section needs to be turned on for a predetermined period of time during the running of the application program. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The system as recited in claim 16, wherein the particular section controller comprises circuitry configured to turn off the particular power section after the predetermined period of time in response to receipt from the central controller of the first signal with the second value even when there is the receipt from the event detector of the indication of the data processing activity occurring within the particular power section. ### Claim 18 An integrated circuit comprising: integrated circuitry delineated into first and second power sections; a first section controller coupled to the first power section; a second section controller coupled to the second power section; a central controller coupled to the first and second section controllers, wherein the central controller and the first section controller are configured to control power consumption within the first power section; and wherein the central controller and the second section controller are configured to control power consumption within the second power section; wherein the central controller is configured to control the power consumption within the first power section independently from the power consumption within the second power section; wherein the central controller is configured to determine that the second power section can be controlled so that the power consumption within the second power section can be decreased for a successful running of an application program within the integrated circuit; and circuitry configured to run the application program within the integrated circuit with the second power section controlled by the central controller and the second section controller to decrease the power consumption within the second power section. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The integrated circuit as recited in claim 17, wherein the application program is run within the integrated circuit with the first power section controlled by the central controller and the first section controller so that the power consumption by the first power section is not decreased.